The new Miss United States of America has been crowned.
Following the competition that took place on Friday at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, Noelia Voigt of Utah was crowned the winner of Miss USA 2023.
The coveted title went to Voigt, who prevailed in the competition over Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz and Miss Wisconsin Alexis Loomans, who were also runners-up. Voigt was awarded the title of Miss USA 2022 by Morgan Romano, who succeeded R’Bonney Gabriel as the titleholder when Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe. Romano handed the crown to Voigt.
Voigt remarked in an Instagram post that she had made a few days before the pageant, “The past seven years of my pageant journey have all led me to this moment.” “Before an interview, I normally get a little bit nervous, but right now, I feel very calm. “I can’t wait to get into that room, connect with the judges, and show them who Noelia is in every aspect to the fullest!”
During the month of July, Voigt pondered on her historic accomplishment of becoming the first Venezuelan-American to win the title of Miss Utah.
“I am honored to be the first Venezuelan-American woman to hold the title of Miss Utah USA, and I am truly looking forward to breaking barriers and bridging the gap between communities by being able to speak Spanish and connect with the large Hispanic population in Utah,” she said on Instagram.
At the contest held this year, Laylah Rose was crowned as the new Miss USA president.
In an interview with Insider, Rose, who is both a fashion designer and the CEO of the VIP Pageantry television network, discussed some fresh developments in advance of Friday’s competition.
The newly elected president made a solemn oath that, going forward, the swimsuit round, the evening-gown round, and the interview round that the ladies competed in would no longer each equally reflect 33 percent of their final vote.
One further piece of noteworthy news is that the follow-up question will not be political. “For the remaining thirty seconds that she is onstage, let her have her moment,” the announcer said.
The presiding president has also made use of the voting system known as Tally Genie, which is described as the “premier tabulation and auditing software solution for the pageant industry.”
During the year 2022, a number of contenders said that the pageant was fixed in favor of Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, who was the first Filipina-American woman to win the title of Miss USA.
“The current allegations are based on perception, and not the truth,” Gabriel said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I have no desire to take part in a contest that has been fixed in any way.”
Even after Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe 2022, the scandal persisted. According to Today, at the time, the group in question refuted the charges of vote rigging and claimed that the “absurd” assertions “distract from the incredible milestones our organization and the delegates experienced” during the course of the weekend.
After the competition, Gabriel said to PEOPLE that she was “fully prepared for anything coming my way” as Miss Universe, including the criticism she would get from naysayers.
“This is an opportunity to show the world that even when negativity comes your way — I think we all experience a little internet hate here and there — to not let it get to you. ” “This is an opportunity to show the world that even when negativity comes your way.” “And I think that this is a great opportunity for me to set an example,” she added. “I hope that others will look up to me.”
The woman from Texas also expressed the hope that others would be motivated “to believe in themselves” and to pursue their ambitions as a result of her trip to the crown.
Gabriel said that it had taken him three years to reach to this stage, during which time he had worked nonstop every single day. “And I just want to share the story about what goes on behind the scenes and how you can achieve something that seemed so impossible at one point,” she said.
